This case study documents the introduction of the Skoog as a new technology product for children with additional support needs, in The Hub (The Hub, Sanderson’s Wynd Primary School, Sanderson’s Wynd, Tranent, EH33 1DA). The work is used to create a structure for the future use of the Skoog in class.
Why use the Skoog?
The Skoog, as a product under the wide umbrella of assistive technology, is designed with the intention of enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to, or had great difficulty accomplishing. Specifically, it allows all people, despite of cognitive or physical disability, to generate sound in an immediate way and create music. It is accessible to all that are unable to play traditional instruments or even those that are interested in an alternative way of sound-making. The Skoog, as numerous case studies suggest, makes no exceptions.
Its design, having been intended for use in special education, is simple and inviting. Being squeezable, soft and colourful, it immediately catches the eye and becomes the centre of attention; everybody wants to touch it. Furthermore, it is easy to use, a fact that separates it from other assistive technology products. Simply plugging it into the USB port of a computer or laptop (windows or Mac operated) makes it immediately ready to play. Pressing, squeezing, hitting, or physically interacting with the Skoog in any way, and with any part of the body, produces a variety of realistic traditional instrument sounds, accompanied by their full dynamic characteristics, and other sounds such as animal voices, sound effects, words, or really any sound of your choice. However, even though it can be played by all, and no musicals skills are required beforehand, progress can be made and skills are acquired, a fact that explains the presence of the adjustable skill settings. The Skoog is also accompanied by user-friendly software, which, with the touch of a button, allows the user to adapt and customize various aspects of the sound and features of the Skoog itself, such as its sensitivity.
The Skoog sessions in the Hub:
The text concerning the sessions is written from a first-person perspective, in the present tense, for ease of explanation and, also, to express the element of subjectivity and personal involvement in the perspective adopted.
The aforementioned essential elements of the Skoog led the Hub, the part of Sanderson’s Wynd Primary School that provides support for primary aged children with severe and complex additional support needs, to acquire it and to be eager towards its creative inclusion and incorporation in the classroom.
The Hub has three classes, the Seniors, Juniors and Infants, 16 pupils in total, and their first sessions with the Skoog are as class groups, on a weekly basis, within the classroom environment. After their first introductory contact with the Skoog through myself and Dr Schogler, the pupils seem eager to touch and interact with it. Wanting to approach the children with something immediate, familiar and enjoyable in our initial meetings, I decide to use nature soundscapes and animal sounds from the ocean and the jungle environment. Various sounds are used depending on the preferences and needs of each child, enveloped in the common-to-all context of a backing track featuring the sound of water flowing and subtle sounds of nature. Through the pupils’ active participation in a simple process of choice accompanied by presentation of corresponding images, all classes choose to use the jungle soundscape and sounds, possibly for reasons of familiarity. After that stage, all pupils enjoy playing with the Skoog, producing the sounds of animals and show great excitement.
For the Christmas period sessions I choose to have the children interact with something more festive, as their everyday curriculum already includes holiday activities. The children play Christmas related sounds on the Skoog, while they are acoustically supported by a rhythmic backing track, such as the ho-ho-ho of Santa, or the sound of a footstep on snow, they try to play the beginning phrase of “Jingle Bells”, or play along the, familiar to all, Christmas song “Merry Christmas everyone”.
The children, the Skoog and I
As expected, each child responds differently during the session and their way of playing differs from one another. Some choose to focus more on the calming sound of the backing track, while holding the Skoog and slowly and shyly producing sounds of low dynamic level, while others explicitly express their excitement through playing loudly, forcefully and fast, sometimes vocalizing or even imitating the sounds.
However, even though all children explicitly express their excitement and will to play the Skoog from the beginning of our sessions, there is a noticeable gradual improvement in their behavior and response towards the Skoog. They learn to control their excitement, some more than others, a fact that makes their movement more disciplined, intentional and they tend to further explore the possibilities of sound-making. Their excitement, in a more controlled form now, is also easily differentiated from their feeling of satisfaction and contentment, a fact that has gradually become clear; most children understand when they are doing well and their focus is more intentional and less instinctive. Additionally, waiting becomes easier and all the pupils gradually participate more than more, actively listening and vocalizing, even imitating the sounds and giving ideas, while their fellow pupils take their turns.
Despite the children’s’ progress that highly satisfies me, it also becomes obvious that there is much for me to learn about how to successfully work with the Skoog inside the classroom. Though the Skoog, while incorporating the challenging elements both of music and of technology, proves to be very easy to use, providing nearly immediate access to sound-making, the aspects of time-management and setup must be very well organized beforehand.
Further work: small group and individual work
These large-group sessions, in which I work towards the familiarization of the whole classroom with the Skoog, its use and possibilities, however, as the initial request of the school requires, will be followed by a series of small-group and individual sessions, again on a weekly basis but away from the classroom environment. This, we believe, will lead to greater benefits and progress for the chosen pupils and will also allow us to take a closer and detailed look at the outcomes and influences of using the Skoog within this context.
Thus, our sessions, will now take place in one of the therapy rooms, a space that will allow the children to be more concentrated and will remove them from the everyday environment of their classroom. I will be working with two small groups and one individual. The first group comprises of three students of higher cognitive level that do not have much physical disability and are able to explore more fully the possibilities the Skoog provides, the second group is four pupils with physical disability that have greatly restricted movement, whereas the third session is an individual session with a pupil that has hearing-impairment.
A separate session plan is designed so as to accommodate each pupil’s needs and aiming towards the creation of an ending product for the pupils and school to keep. The children and I will be working with the Skoog, and through their active participation in simple processes of choice, the use of percussive and melodic sounds, and, when needed, the help of a vibroacoustic speaker, we will contribute to the gradual composition and recording of a music piece; their music piece. Through this course of action and within a supportive context I aspire to develop, amongst others, their self-advocacy, perseverance and understanding of cause and effect. Of course, as well as the sessions catering to each child’s needs, I also wish to form an atmosphere of togetherness and collaboration.
Conclusion
Having been working on this project in the Hub for the past months, I can no doubt say that the Skoog, combining some very interesting and innovative features, has proven to be a useful tool in my mission to enable the children to express their creativity and feelings through sound. I confess to have been somewhat anxious about the children’s possible response towards this squeezable, colourful, piece of technology, but their progress and rapidly growing maturity within our sessions has calmed my doubts, and I am now eager to see what the outcome of the more specialized sessions will be. I am definite that the partaking pupils will greatly benefit of this opportunity, our work being more concentrated and focused, a fact that will help develop and cultivate their musical, interpersonal, social and general skills and behaviours.
